Is J.J. Abrams' Star Wars Directing Job Up In The Air?

Even though J.J. Abrams was officially announced as the Star Wars Episode 7 director earlier this year, there has been very little information about his plans for the next installment in the Star Wars series. Disney CEO Bob Iger has been insistent that Disney is planning to release Star Wars Episode 7 in the summer of 2015, but there has yet to even be a single official casting announcement.  While rumors have circulated about the original cast returning, nothing has been confirmed by J.J. Abrams. On Wednesday night, J.J. Abrams appeared on the Conan O'Brien show to promote Start Trek Into Darkness, but he also used a rather odd choice of words when talking about Star Wars. After Conan O'Brien asked J.J. Abrams to include a Jub Jub Easter Egg in Star Wars Episode 7, J.J. Abrams said, "If and when I am directing Star Wars, Jub Jub will somehow find its way in." Why did J.J. Abrams start by saying "If" he is directing Star Wars? Could it be that there still might be some discussion over what his role with Star Wars Episode 7 will be? Is it possible that he might be considering taking a producer role and letting someone else direct? With J.J. Abrams already active on a number of other projects, could it be Disney is considering other options to make sure the 2015 release date is hit? While we assume it's likely that nothing has changed and J.J. Abrams is still directing Star Wars Episode 7, it's still interesting that he chose to use the "If" word.